Western

classic western adventure fiction (c1979), set in the snowy mountains of the frontier Territory that is now part of Colorado (mining town of Silverton, high plains, cliff dwellings similar to those at Mesa Verde, Georgetown's Hotel de Paris, and cutting east through Dodge City, Kansas City, past Abilene and a lava flow a the Spanish Mountains), 1890s-1900s (after the Civil War), starting in a blizzardy April and continuing through several weeks/months; the main character Kearney seems to treat indigenous natives with kindness as friendly neighbors, but does sometimes refer to them as "redskins" and notes that the Ute land had been "ceded" (p. 104); there is also a troubling idea posed that the bad guys' Carribean heritage is partly to blame for their evildoing (p.106), but if you can ignore/forgive that, it's a fast-paced, entertaining story.

Great adventure tale from a famously skilled storyteller with appreciation for the landscapes of the western frontier, accessible and easy to read with lots of local (dated but likely authentic) vernacular.

picked up from a Little Free Library, part of my trying various popular authors I've never read before-- ( )

just good clean fun!!! ( )

just good clean fun!!! ( )

Kearney McRaven is 17, but has been doing a man's work for several years. When he is bereft of his father under suspicious circumstances, he finds himself alone in the world, aside from some newly discovered cousins who are doing their best to kill him.

Good solid L'Amour book, with a slightly different plot from the 'standard' Western novel, interesting characters, and enough intrigue and action to keep a sleepy person awake for just a little longer... ( )